Philosophy Marshmallows for Toasting

I had Thu and Fri off work this week so on Fri afternoon I decided to brave Oxford Street – foolhardy, I know, but it does have a John Lewis, House of Fraser and Debenhams (British department stores) right next to each other so it’s one of the obvious choices for panic buying ha ha.  Chances are you’ll always be able to find something lovely and/or amusing.

I’ve managed to tick most people off my list now, thank goodness: mum, dad, boyf, and best friends.  I’ve just got to pick up a few more little things.  I’ll just have to fit in one last shopping session after work next week, urgh.

Anyway I was feeling in need of a treat after having braved the crowds on Friday so I picked up this Philosophy “Marshmallows for Toasting” gift set for myself when I was in John Lewis.  It cost £18.

The packaging is really cute, although the box is in the shape of a house which I think would make it damned awkward to wrap for posting!  I think you’d actually have to put it in another box before you could send it which I imagine would be a bit annoying.

Anyway let’s take a closer look at what’s in the box now.

You get a 280ml body + hair wash, 60ml body lotion and 15ml lip gloss, all with a strong burnt (caramelised) marshmallow scent.  The scent is so strong that I used the body wash and lotion today and went round smelling like a toasted marshmallow all afternoon.  It’s ideal if you’re a fan of sweet smells but definitely to be avoided otherwise!

The size of the body wash and lotion make them ideal for travelling or chucking in a handbag – well, to take the lotion as a handcream anyway, not sure you’d need to carry a mini-sized body wash around in your handbag.  The body wash has a tiny hole in the lid which is very good at dispensing a tiny amount of product which is all you need as it’s so rich and creamy.  I bought a similar set to this last year and the body wash lasted a good few weeks despite being so small.  It’s a great size for travelling although I did have a few issues with mine leaking a bit last year when it wasn’t stored upright but that may just have been me rather than a problem with the packaging but just to be on the safe side I’d recommend popping it in a plastic bag if you’re taking it with you on holiday.  As an added festive touch it’s also a golden shimmery colour, but that just rinses off the skin when you rinse the product off.

The lip gloss is so strongly scented that I think it’d be a great product to use if you were trying to cut down on sweet stuff as really after smelling burnt sugar on your lips all day long you’re probably not going to want to chow down on much sweet stuff too!  Still, the scent is not quite as offensive as my recently purchased Urban Decay pocket rocket glosses so I don’t mind it too much.  The colour looks quite pink in the tube but it’s really quite sheer on the lips and just leaves a subtle shimmery finish.  Unfortunately it’s let down somewhat by its slightly thin consistency so it lacks longevity for me but then I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who prefer their glosses not so tacky anyway.

Overall I really like this little gift set and while pricey at £18 I’d definitely recommend it if it’s within your budget and you’d like to get a sweets and beauty product loving friend or relative a good, fun quality set.